Colds in Cats and Kittens

Cats get colds just like humans; however cats have their own virus that is unique to their species. This means we can't catch colds from each other.

Cats experience pretty much the same symptoms as we do when we have a cold. They get snotty runny noses, runny eyes, sneezing, and temperature and probably feel just as miserable. And like humans they also are susceptible to the sinus and chest infections that are sometimes the result with a human’s cold.

Since your cat cannot blow it's nose, you need to keep the mucus and discharge clean by wiping the nose as needed with a damp, warm rag or tissue. Just like in humans, a cat cold will last from 7 to 10 days.

Cats smell their and therefore will refuse to eat when having a cold, because they simply can’t smell it. Keep a very close eye on the cat for dehydration!

When kittens have runny eyes and noses, chances are that they have a respiratory infection. Unfortunately, many of these respiratory infections never go away completely. They may seem to disappear, and return whenever the cat is stressed, or they may just never go away.

The Cat Flu is still an extremely common problem in cats. It rarely causes death in healthy adult cats but it can be fatal in kittens, old cats and cats which are already ill. Upper Respiratory Infections can be caused by a variety of infectious agents including Feline Pneumonitis, Rhinotracheitis, and Calcivirus. Symptoms of Upper Respiratory Infections in cats are similar to a head cold in humans and can include sneezing, nasal discharge, runny eyes, cough, oral or nasal ulcers, hoarse voice, sniffles, fever or any combination of the above.

Cats that recover from cat flu may become carriers of the virus and can transmit the disease to other cats for many years. If this 'carrier' cat is stressed, this can be by moving house or other activities which are out of the ordinary, it may show signs of cat flu, this being a runny nose and most commonlyby sneezing.

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